Stella Parton is giving the world something it needed: the truth about Dolly’s final days. In a September 10 interview on CBS Mornings with Gayle King, Stella said her sister was“at peace”and“definitely prepared”for death before passing on August 25 at age 80 after a brief battle with undisclosed cancer. It’s the most personal look we’ve gotten at how the country legend faced the end.
Stella also explained why Dolly kept her illness so private. The answer is peak Dolly: she didn’t want fans or her large extended family to spend her final months worrying.“She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it,”Stella told King, noting that only her closest relatives knew. Stella, 77, first broke her silence with an August 27 Instagram post before sitting down for the full interview.
Since Dolly’s passing, tributes have poured in from every corner of pop culture, and Stella believes her sister would have been delighted by all of it. Dolly leaves behind a legacy that spans music, philanthropy, acting, and literacy advocacy through her Imagination Library. She gave us decades of joy and, according to Stella, faced the end with the same grace she gave everything else.
What’s your favorite Dolly Parton memory? Tell us in the comments and we’ll play the tributes all week.
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.